VENTURE – A Peek Down Below

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Russell Wharf – B.O.I.

VENTURE – A Peek Down Below

I last saw the launch – Venture, back in June 2021 when she was berthed at Hobsonville marina. Link below to that story + a Aug 2017 story that has some wonderful photos from her days big game fishing in the Bay of Islands.

Venture was built by Morrie Palmer in c.1964 and while several people have made reference to being designed by Colin Wilde, at best, probably safe to say ‘influenced by’ 😉

36 in length, 12’1” beam and draft of 3’7”. Forward motion is via 6cyl Ford 90hp Diesel engine.

Today thanks to a recent tme listing (ex Ian McDonald) we get to have a gender down below.

WW Aug 2017 https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/08/26/venture-2/ WW June 2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/06/23/can-we-id-this-launch-2/

STEWART ISLAND WOODYS

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STEWART ISLAND WOODYS

One of the original gang of 8 that 10+ years ago helped breath life back into the CYA launch fleet (when there was one 🙂 ) – Colin Pawson (past owner of Waimiga) has recently been mooching around the bottom of the South Island and hopped over to Stewart Island for a few days. In between night spotting Kiwis in the wild and consuming “the best fish (blue cod) & chips that has ever past his lips, Colin snapped a few woodys that were at anchor / moored.

The rather grand one in the first photo looks familiar , can we put a name to her and the others.

UPDATE EX PAUL N – the top boat is Wairangi

UPDATE EX ANT SMIT – Ant reports he also recently visited Stewart Island. Ant chartered the fishing boat Tequila for a 1/2 day and caught an impressive haul of Blue Nose. Ant commented that despite her salty looks she was built in 1996 with carvel kauri construction and is powered by a straight 6 Volvo diesel. More photos below. 

The third boat above (green) is Rawene , another photo below

FINAL CALL FOR THE CLASSIC WOODY RIVERHEAD TAVERN LUNCH CRUISE. THIS SATURDAY RSVP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

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ANNA ROSA

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ANNA ROSA

Todays woody has got southern boat written all over her, this backed up by her birth place – the Morgan Boatyard in Picton.

The 41’ Anna Rosa has a build date of 1974 so she fits into the ’spirit of tradition’ category. Lots of zoom zoom with a 320hp CAT 3208 engine below decks. With the rego number on her, she is or must have been in survey.

Any of the mainland woodys able to shed some more light on Anna Rosa for us.

Photo and details sent in by John Dawson

RSVP > waitematawoodys@gmail.com

MANUWAI – A Peek Down Below

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MANUWAI – A Peek Down Below

Back in April 2015 the 31’ launch – Manuwai made an appearance on WW, (link below to that story). 

WW April 2015 https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/04/23/manuwai/

At the time her then owner Paul Kerr-Hislop was looking to confirm some of the intel he had been told about the boat i.e. that Manuwai was built in Porirua in 1960 by a Paul Bradey for the Mexted family of Tawa to a Shipbuilders design. We learnt that she was LOA 30’8” with a beam 10’6”. She has a 1 1/4” kauri planked hull which has a hard chine and flat bottom towards the stern presumably to enable semi-planing. A 140hp 135T Perkins diesel engine gave a cruising speed of 9>10 knots and a top speed of around 13 knots.

Now thanks to Ian McDonald pointing out a recent tme listing we get to have a better gander down below.

DEEMS BOAT YARD – Help Needed + Restless 4sale

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DEEMS BOAT YARD – Help Needed

During the week I was contacted by master boatbuilder – Peter Murton regarding a craft currently in his workshop rafters. Peter has been told that the 14’ clinker won a NZ Outboard Cup race in the 1930’s.The very skinny craft was possibly built in 1932 by Deems boat yard and has all kauri planking, ribs, natural knees and stem all look like mangrove and pohutukawa. Ribs are 3/4″ x 1/4”, planking all 1/4”
Peter would like to confirm / uncover more of the boats provenance – can we help.

RESTLESS – Needs A New Home 


The 40’ yacht Restless has a wonderful back story – built by the Tercel Bros in 1920 to a Alden / Tercel design. She is constructed of kauri, her beam is 11’3” and she draws 6’ (lead keel). 

Amazingly Restless has had only one owner for the last 55 years, that gent being Tim Beattie, one of the Bay of Islands most respected guardians of classic craft. Sadly Tim has reached that stage in life when sailing Restless is starting to get too much for him, so he would like to find good home for her.A young family of maybe several mates looking for an affordable entry point into classic sailing. 
Link below to a WW story on her with more details and photos. Seriously interested parties to contact waitematawoodys re specs and price. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/03/19/restless/

THE LINORA

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THE LINORA

Todays woody is the launch – Linora, built in Fairle, Canterbury, in the South Island by Guard & Cuthill. She was built for a R W Butcher of Auckland. In the above photo we see her being transported down Stafford St in Timaru, no doubt on route to launching.

The inland town of Faire may seem an odd place for a boatbuilding yard but in 1970 Dick Guard and Graham Cuthill commenced business there in an old ammunition factory. Initially building small row boats, at 60’ The Linora was the largest they built. In total the yard built 10 launches and over 130 row boats.

Thanks to Peter Grant for sending in the press clipping  / photo of the story that was penned by Dick Guard.

Do we know what became of the Linora – rather a large woody to ‘disappear’

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – photo below from NH show that Linora sent time as a fishing charter boat out of Auckland, named Florence Kennedy II (images are from archives nz and akl libraries)

10-03-2024 UPDATE: I suspect that we have ‘merged’ two boats into one. Greg Philpott has advised that Florence Kennedy was built for Len Sowerty and named after his wife. 

The Lenora was built for a Mr. R W Butcher as mentioned in the article below.

ONE WEEK TO THE CLASSIC WOODY LUNCH CRUISE TO THE RIVERHEAD WATERFRONT TAVERN – RSVP TODAY

email baot name and approx. crew numbers to waitematawoodys@waitematawoodys

RSVP > waitematawoodys@gmail.com
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RANGIMARIE

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RANGIMARIE

Todays woody is Rangimarie, a 45’ motor sailer built in Paremata in 1959 by Saunders boatbuilders.

Construction is heart matai (black pine).

Forward propulsion is from a Gardner 6LX diesel. She appears to be very well spec’ed , as are most serious southern woodys. 

Rangimarie has called Riverton home for the last 18 years and thanks to a tme listing (ex Lan McDonald) we get to have peek onboard. On face value good buying at $100k.

Do we know anything about her early years.

IDOLON – Where Is She

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IDOLON – Where Is She

A by the name of Brad McDermit yesterday posted on the ‘Old North Auckland – Northland Photos & Stories ‘fb asking if anyone knew the status / whereabouts of a launch named – IDOLON that his uncle, Francis Arlidge built in Russell for this other uncle Fred Baker.

Can you help Brad out re the boat.

RSVP – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

KIRIKIRIROA – A Peek Down Below

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KIRIKIRIROA – A Peek Down Below

Well after two days of ‘wall2wall’ classic woody porn it was always going to be a big challenge to back up with a run-of-the-mill story, so I thought its Wednesday so must be time for a Work Boat Wednesday story.

Todays woody is the Terry Bailey built 1983, 36′ ex workboat – Kirikiriroa , a woody thats been on my top 10 list ever since I first spotted her at Gulf Harbour marina many years ago. Built from strip plank kauri.

She was originally built for the mussel industry on Great Barrier Island and later used for various fright and cargo transportation. While not currently in survey (on hold), she is still capable of carrying 5 ton of cargo.

AND – down below is a 70hp 4LW Gardner…………….

Kirikiriroa recently popped up on tm , thanks Ian McDonald. I could own her but I’d have to stop churning out WW everyday, I’d be too busy polishing that engine 🙂

Link here to the previous WW story  April 2016 Story https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/04/15/kirikiriroa/

2016 photo ex K Ricketts

07-03-2024 Input ex Russell Ward – Kirikiriroa was ashore at Gulf Harbour for a tidy up when I had Hinemoa’s Boat up for the same several years back.
The sign in the wheelhouse appealed to me somehow.
She was looking a bit tidier back then, but she’s an appealing wee boat for a real man.

HAVE YOU RSVP’ed FOR THE WOODY CRUISE TO RIVERHEAD TAVERN – SATURDAY 16 MARCH

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AUCKLAND WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Off The Water Gallery – Part 2

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AUCKLAND WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL – Off The Water Gallery – 70+ Classic Woody Photos

Today we focus on the spectacular collection of smaller woody craft that were displayed in and around the viaduct events centre – to a large % of the shows audience that had some salt in their veins this was a trip down memory lane.

Just so much care and attention has been furnished on these wooden craft. Sadly I suspect that a lot are now in the ‘display’ category. And as we all know with wooden boats you have got to use them or else they deteriorate quickly and then the cost to bring back is just too steep.

The minders / owners of the craft on display were overrun with people wanting to rely their own experiences and memories of the boats. Hopefully the show has ignited some interest in finding the craft that they enjoyed in a past life. The was certainly no shortage of owners looking for new blood to take over their artefact.

Enjoy the gallery and remember you can enlarge the photos if you click on them and the link to the other half of the festival – the classic woodys berthed dockside is below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/03/04/77770/

RSVP – waitematawoodys@gmail.com